All the speculation going on about the new NHL jerseys, I thought this seemed timely…

The study focused on America’s National Football League (NFL) and National Hockey League (NHL) and found teams wearing black uniforms were more likely to be penalised than those wearing a lighter colour.
It also found teams wearing black uniforms were ranked near the top of their respective leagues in penalties.
Gilovich says there are two reasons why black uniforms tend to attract more whistle blowing.
“Firstly, it is because of the association between black and evil. What I’ve found is borderline infringements by members of black-uniformed teams look more aggressive and thus elicit more penalty calls,” he says. [...]
“Secondly, the association with black leads to a feeling of power, forcefulness, and aggression on the part of players wearing black uniforms.
“Wearers of black uniforms tend to play more aggressively, which increases the chance of them getting penalised.”

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Tyler Arnason to a two-year contract through the 2008-09 season.
Arnason, 28, finished sixth on the Avalanche in scoring last season with 49 points in 82 games. Arnason, who was one of only five Avalanche players to appear in every game last year, has now played all 82 games in three of the past four seasons.
“Tyler had a good season for us last year and we look forward to him building upon that success,” said Avalanche Vice President & General Manager Francois Giguere.

Many questions will be answered tonight when the first round of the NHL Entry Draft gets under way. Will Patrick Kane or Kyle Turris go first overall? Will Chicago trade the first pick?
But there are many more intriguing plots for draft watchers to follow. Here’s a sampling:
The Malkin Factor: Russia’s Alexei Cherepanov, on talent alone, deserves to be among the top four picks. But the NHL lacks a transfer agreement with the Russian hockey federation. A team that drafts him risks lengthy legal battles — a la Malkin — to get him in North America. He may drop as a result.

In dealing for Vesa Toskala Friday, Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson admitted that Andrew Raycroft, his draft-day acquisition at the 2006 entry draft, hasn’t panned out as he had hoped. A natural-born pessimist might fault Ferguson for that, while an optimist might at least give him credit for not stubbornly sticking by his alleged No. 1.
But Ferguson’s insistence on signing Toskala to a contract extension makes no sense whatsoever.

Veteran forwards Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with the Pittsburgh Penguins, sources tell TSN.
Both players were scheduled to become free agents on July 1.
Amid reports that both the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs would pursue Roberts heavily, Roberts agreed to a deal worth $2.5 million.
Recchi’s deal is worth $2 million against the salary cap and includes bonus provisions to get to that amount.

Chicago defenceman Adrian Aucoin has agreed to waive his no trade clause to permit a deal to the Calgary Flames along with a seventh-round pick in 2007.
In exchange, the Flames will send defenseman Andrei Zyuzin and prospect Steve Marr to the Blackhawks.

The Oilers and Flyers could be trying to land a big one before tonight’s NHL draft.
League sources say both teams may have made calls to Devils GM Lou Lamoriello about acquiring the negotiating rights to centre Scott Gomez, who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
It’s believed the Oilers, who have three first-round picks, can offer the most attractive package to the Devils.

Wild president and general manager Doug Risebrough was holed up in his hotel room with the phone to his ear trying to work out a deal that likely would alter the team’s position in tonight’s first round, set for 6 p.m. at Nationwide Arena.
“Nothing is imminent,” Risebrough said Thursday night. “I’m waiting for calls back. Whether it materializes or not, I don’t know.”
Though Risebrough would not specify the components of the deal, it was easy to speculate the impending end of the Manny Fernandez Era, which bore two postseason berths and a surfeit of turmoil, some real and some imagined.

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